Heart of Life
by Kuroneko-sama07
Summary: A series of short pieces that focus on the characters and relationships of HeartGold/SoulSilver following the events of the game - mainly Silver, Lyra, and Ethan but others as well. The main pairing is Soulsilvershipping, but there could be hints of other pairings later.
1. Chapter 1

**Heart of Life**

A/N: This is going to be a series of short drabbles/one-shots that focus on the characters of HeartGold/SoulSilver - mainly Silver, Lyra, and Ethan but also Green (Blue in the U.S. version, but I'll be calling him Green here) and Red later, and possibly a few others from time to time - after the events of the game. Basically, it's just my headcanon that the 5 of them become really good friends eventually, and so this is me exploring that idea and those relationships.

The main pairing that will be seen here is Soulsilvershipping (Silver/Lyra), but there could be some hints of Preciousmetalshipping/Huntershipping (Silver/Ethan) as well as Originalshipping (Red/Green). Like I said, I'm kinda just playing around with relationships here. ;) Also, I'm imagining everyone to be a bit older than they are in the games, all in their mid-to-late teens at least. Anyway, I'll mostly be using sentence prompts for these, which I'll always identify beforehand, and I may or may not include the actual prompt in the story.

OK, this first one is Soulsilvershipping! Hope you like!

Prompt: "He noticed the contrast now more than ever."

* * *

><p>As had happened many times since he met this girl, he realized, Silver found himself in a position he really didn't know how to handle.<p>

Silver and Lyra had been spending the much of the day together, as they had been doing a lot recently, he noticed. He wasn't sure why or how; it just happened. They kept finding reasons or excuses to see each other. He still thought she was just as annoying as ever, but when she'd call him, he'd always answer. And then, he noticed things changing between them even more. Lyra would sit closer to him than usual, or occasionally slip her hand in his as they walked. Of course, he used to resist or push her away, but at some point, he couldn't remember when, he stopped. He realized he didn't really mind it that much.

But this... this was different. The two had been relaxing on the grass near the water outside Blackthorn City, while letting a couple of their Pokemon play together for a bit. The sun was shining brightly that day, but it was still a bit chilly since they were up in the mountains. It didn't bother Silver, however, as he had laid back in the grass and closed his eyes. What he didn't notice was the slight shivering of the girl next to him, and before he knew what was happening, he felt her body press into his. She pressed herself against his side, her legs on either side of one of his own, her hand rested on his chest and her head against his shoulder, her hat sliding off in the process.

He had no idea how to react, so he lay motionless. A part of him wanted to shove her off of him, but a bigger part of him was...happy. Unbeknownst to anyone but himself, he had sometimes imagined what it would be like to be this close to her, but he swore to himself that he would never do anything to find out. They were just way too different, he had told himself time and time again.

"You're warm," he heard her whisper suddenly.

Silver couldn't believe the girl laying with him at that moment. She had been cold, so this was her solution, as if it was the simplest thing. She wanted to be close to him, so she was. She wasn't afraid of him or what he would do. He realized that she was always doing everything he couldn't as if it was nothing. He noticed the contrast between them now more than ever, but as he slowly and silently wrapped his arms around her, pressing her even closer against him and resting his head atop hers, he didn't care.

For now, he would find relief in this moment.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Set sometime after the previous one. This one is more Silver and Ethan centric.

Prompt: "It was with some trepidation I stepped forward."

* * *

><p>Lyra had finally convinced Silver to accompany her to the Daycare Center owned by Ethan's grandparents. Of course, he had been adamantly against it at first, not wanting to trust one of his Pokemon to anyone else and certainly not wanting to spend any time with Ethan, even if he was her childhood friend. But, she insisted that spending just a few hours there would be really good for his Pokemon, and she'd even drop off one of her own as well. She also assured him that although Ethan would probably be working there, that was definitely not their reason for going.<p>

Surprisingly enough, he seemed to believe her and agreed to go. The truth was, Lyra was hoping for Ethan and Silver to get acquainted even just a little bit. It had dawned on her that besides her, Silver had no other friends, which made her sad. She wasn't sure that he and Ethan would get along at all - Silver never seemed to even remotely like the guy - but she figured she could at least try.

At the center, Silver sat crouched in the faux grass inside, watching his Sneasel play with Lyra's Vulpix. Naturally, she had gone to help Ethan's grandparents with something and left him here with nothing to do. He really didn't feel comfortable with this whole daycare thing - it seemed like Ethan's grandparents were going senile, for one, and he wasn't sure that Ethan himself would be much better.

Just then, Silver heard someone approaching him slowly from behind. He glanced over his shoulder to see none other than Ethan standing there with a stupid grin on his face. Silver said nothing, and Ethan hesitantly moved forward to stand next to him.

"Um... if you're worried about your Pokemon, don't be. We'll take good care of him," he said assuringly.

Silver huffed. "I'm not worried about him," he lied. "I know he can fend for himself."

Ethan didn't know what to say to that, so he didn't respond. Instead, he released his Marill from its Poke Ball to play with the others, and the two boys silently watched the playful creatures. After a few moments, Silver stood up to leave.

"You know," Ethan began, causing Silver to pause in his steps, "Lyra really likes you."

"...And? What's your point?" Silver asked, not turning back around to face him in an attempt to hide the fact that those words had flustered him a bit. He still had trouble believing them himself sometimes.

"I may not really know you, but if Lyra likes you, then I really like you, too!" Ethan replied with a smile.

At that, Silver turned to face him and he found Ethan's smile to be... genuine? But, why? Silver realized that he was right - they didn't know each other at all - and yet, all this time, he had been disliking Ethan for no reason, while Ethan apparently had been doing the complete opposite.

"Hmph. The two of you are way too much alike," Silver mumbled as he walked away. But Ethan had heard him, knowing exactly what he meant, and chuckled quietly to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's another Soulsilvershipping one. Takes place either after the first two or maybe between them? Doesn't really matter. Btw, if anyone's wondering where I'm getting these prompts from, it's adammaxwell. com. There's a generator there in the writers' tools section. IDK, I just found it on google, lol.

Prompt: There was no other option than to surrender.

* * *

><p>The air was thick between them as they awkwardly sat together in the Dragon's Den. Silver and Lyra had been training their Pokemon there together but had finally stopped to take a break. The ground was a bit cold and damp, but something about the inside of this dimly lit cave had a nice ambience; although, Lyra felt like it was making the tension between them even worse.<p>

Lyra wanted to be closer to him. She wanted him to understand that her feelings for him were more than just friendship. She had been trying to do this, making minor advances to him, and he actually wasn't rejecting her small displays of affection anymore, but he never said anything about it and he wasn't making any moves of his own.

Truthfully, Silver was afraid. He had never been this close to anyone before. He wasn't sure what would happen if he let his feelings guide him and that scared him, so he did the only thing he could do - try to ignore them. But as time wore on, that was becoming increasingly difficult, especially since it seemed like Lyra was determined to make him act on said feelings. And while he was trying to still just ignore them, it was becoming harder and harder to resist her.

Silver glanced over at the girl beside him, only to see her already looking at him with those large brown eyes. He blushed slightly and turned away from her piercing gaze but felt her hand gently rest on his.

"Hey, Silver," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, wanting him to face her again. Her heart was suddenly pounding in her chest.

She wanted him to turn back around - he knew that, and he knew that as he did so, he was walking right into her trap, but he couldn't help it. When he faced her again, he suddenly realized their close proximity. A part of him wanted to back away, but he found he couldn't. It was as if he was frozen there and could do nothing but stare back at her. Before he could even process what was happening, she leaned in and softly pressed her lips against his.

He didn't really respond, so after a few seconds, she pulled away to search his face for a reaction. She thought he might be angry, but instead, she was surprised by what she saw. An expression of shock quickly turned into desire, his gaze smoldering. Suddenly, her heart was pounding even harder.

Silver gently grasped her by the shoulders and kissed her again, but this time more firmly and with much more intensity. She freed her arms from his grasp and snaked them around his neck, as he wrapped his around her waist pulling her even closer, and all the while, they were kissing each other feverishly. In Silver's mind, at this time, there was no other option than to surrender.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This one's set sometime after the first three, I'm thinking I might try to go in chronological order with these so that they can actually form some kind of a story? (a very loose, not much plot kind of story but still) I don't know, we'll see. Anyway, we've got some more Ethan/Silver friendship building here. :D

Prompt: It was more than I wanted and that was good.

* * *

><p>Lyra had invited Ethan and Silver to spend the night at her home in New Bark Town - Ethan agreed immediately, of course, and Silver was very reluctant but eventually gave in at the prospect of sleeping in an actual house instead of in his sleeping bag in a cave or at the Pokemon Center (or so he told himself and them). Lyra had, in his opinion, ridiculous plans of the three of them sleeping together in piles of blankets on the floor of her room, which had been quickly shot down by her mother. Lyra might have been the champion, but in her mother's eyes, she was still a teenage girl.<p>

Much to Silver's chagrin, he had to share the guest room with Ethan (thankfully, there were two beds). But late that night, something caused Ethan to stir in his sleep. He awoke and drowsily peered over at the bed next to him only to see that it was empty. He wondered if maybe Silver had just gone to the bathroom, but as a few minutes passed, he knew that couldn't be it. He also couldn't help but wonder if Silver had snuck into Lyra's room... He knew the two were getting close, but he didn't think they were _that_ close yet.

Suddenly more awake, Ethan climbed out of bed and walked over to the window. The moon was full and bright that night, illuminating the grounds outside, and he could see all the way to the edge of the river. He looked closer as he eye caught a shade of red - just by the shoreline, there was Silver. He looked to be alone, and Ethan knew he should probably just let him be, but he couldn't. Something pushed him to leave the room, quietly make his way downstairs in the dark, and slip on his shoes before stepping outside into the cool night air.

Startled by the sound of someone approaching, Silver jerked around to face whoever it was. "What do you want?" he hissed, a bit angrily upon seeing that it was Ethan who was daring to disturb his peace.

Ethan slowly approached the redhead, but still maintained some distance. "Relax, man, I just... woke up and didn't know what happened to you. I saw you down here from the window."

"That still doesn't answer my question," he remarked, still irritated. "Why did you come down here?"

Ethan shrugged. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay. It's like 3 a.m., you know."

"Well, I don't need you to check on me, so you can go now," Silver said before abruptly turning his back to the other boy, facing the river again. He inwardly winced at his harsh tone, but then he wondered since when had he started caring what his tone sounded like. These people were definitely rubbing off on him.

Silver thought for sure that remark would make Ethan leave, probably even upset him a little, so he was a bit stunned to say the least when Ethan instead walked up beside him and casually sat down in the grass, pulling his knees to his chin.

"You know, sometimes I wonder about something," Ethan said, nonchalantly, as if he hadn't even heard Silver telling him to leave. He paused, seemingly waiting for Silver to give him some sign to continue.

Silver sighed heavily, and honestly being too tired to fight with Ethan, he plopped down on the grass beside him.

Apparently, that was all the response Ethan needed. "Wonder what it'd be like to be a pokemon trainer, like you guys."

Silver snorted lightly and rolled his eyes. "Well, no one's stopping you."

"Yeah, but I don't think I'm really cut out for it," Ethan said, indifferent. "Nah, besides, my real focus is pokemon breeding, y'know."

A momentary silence fell between them then; Silver didn't know how to respond and he was wondering why Ethan was telling him this anyway. Then, Ethan spoke up again, "You know what else I wonder?"

Silver simply looked at him in response.

Ethan smiled at him. "What the hell you're doing out here at 3 a.m.," he stated with a small laugh.

Silver was a bit taken aback, but he smirked at the dark-haired boy. So, all of that before was just a means to break the ice? He should've guessed that. But, he decided he'd humor him at least.

"Hell if I know. Just couldn't sleep, I guess," he said with a sigh as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Nothing on your mind?" Ethan asked, but when he only got silence in response, he tried again, "Anything you wanna talk about?"

"Nope," Silver finally replied, matter-of-factly.

"Alright, fair enough," Ethan said calmly before standing up and turning back towards the house. He walked a few steps before turning back to Silver. "I'm going back inside, you coming?"

Silver just stared at him for a few seconds. That was it? He wasn't going to hound him for answers? Well, that was certainly unexpected, but Silver found he really appreciated it. "Yeah, I'm coming," he replied as he stood up, shoved his hands into his pockets and followed Ethan back inside.

Even though Silver had admittedly gotten better at dealing with people over the recent years (in large part, thanks to Lyra), he still didn't think he could ever really stand someone else like he could Lyra. But, he realized now that somehow, Ethan had started slowly but surely working his way in. This was not something he had planned on and was definitely more than he wanted.

But, that was good.

* * *

><p>AN: Oops, this is supposed to be mostly a Soulsilvershipping story, and yet this chapter with Silver and Ethan is the longest one yet. :p haha Oh well, it's not like this is really a shippy piece, and I think it's kinda sweet. :') More Soulsilvershipping next time! Thanks for reading, and please review!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry it's been quite a while! Wish I had an excuse, but I really don't. But anyway, I still have lots of ideas for this story, and hopefully I can get myself writing on a more regular basis.

Also, unless otherwise stated, these chapters (I guess I'll call em "chapters" since they are loosely connected) are following a consecutive order. Not that it really matters that much since there is little to no overarching plot here, but yeah. :p Anyway, this chapter is part 1 of a 2-part piece.

Prompt: Camping was just the beginning.

* * *

><p>Lyra sighed disappointedly as she sat down on a tree stump, having just finished setting up her small tent for the night. She had spent the last few days tracking the legendary creature Latios throughout Kanto, and today the map on her Pokegear had led her to Route 15, outside of Fuchsia City. Unfortunately, it's a lengthy route and after hours of searching, she couldn't find any signs of the roaming Pokemon. She knew he must have already fled the area, and since the sun was setting, she had figured it best to set up camp for the night.<p>

She watched absentmindedly as her Ampharos and Golem played together by the fire. Ampharos was playfully sending small shocks to Golem, who of course didn't feel them at all, but he was playing along by pulling silly faces as if he were really being electrocuted. Lyra was glad they were having fun together, but she couldn't help but feel a bit lonely herself. Most of the trainers along the route had gone home, and the only sounds filling the night air were the cackling fire, the laughter of her Pokemon, and the noises of the wild nocturnal Pokemon.

Her mind drifted to Silver, as it often does these days. She had grown so accustomed to spending time with him lately that she had really missed him these past few days while she had been traveling. Eyeing her Pokegear, she couldn't help but to contemplate calling him and asking him to come visit her, but she immediately decided against it. He was all the way in Johto; there was no way he'd want to fly to Kanto this late just to see her.

Suddenly, by some strange coincidence, her Pokegear rang. She hoped it was Silver and that he had somehow learned to read her mind, but when she answered it, the voice on the other end belonged to Ethan.

"Hey Lyra, how's the hunt going?" came the usual cheery voice of her friend.

"Eh, no luck so far," she admitted. "But I'm not giving up."

Ethan chuckled. "Oh, I know you're not. You never do. By the way, have you talked to Silver?"

Lyra was surprised Ethan would ask about him. "No, why?"

"Just wondering," Ethan replied, but he could tell by the silence that Lyra wasn't satisfied with that response, so he continued. "Why don't you ask him to come with you?"

"I don't know...," she said quietly. She really didn't know why she hadn't invited him to come along, but her curiosity was still peaked as to why Ethan was even asking about this. "But, seriously - why are you asking about him?"

"Oh, nothing," he lied. "I just think he probably misses you, is all." Actually, he didn't _think_ Silver missed her - he _knew_ he did. Little did Lyra know, Ethan had already made quite a few phone calls to Silver since she'd been gone, and every time they spoke, Silver would always ask if he had heard from Lyra. Ethan tried telling Silver to just call her himself, but of course Silver insisted that he didn't really care enough to call, so finally, Ethan had decided to be the middle man.

"...You really think I should call him?" she asked. She couldn't believe she was actually starting to entertain the idea. Ever since that one night in the Dragon's Den a couple weeks ago, their relationship had turned into more than that of just friends (although they still have yet to really talk about it), but as much as her feelings for him had grown, Lyra promised herself that she would never be a clingy person. She knew Silver often needed his space, and she respected that. She enjoyed being independent herself, so she really felt like calling him would be going against everything she had once told herself, but her loneliness was truly getting the best of her on this night.

"Yeah!" Ethan said enthusiastically. He had guessed Lyra was missing Silver too and looks like he'd guessed right. "You know he won't say 'no' to you."

Lyra laughed softly and pondered Ethan's words. Maybe he was right. Maybe Silver really did miss her like she missed him. "Alright, I'll do it."

Ethan was glad to hear that and he encouraged her to call him right away before they said their goodbyes and hung up. Lyra couldn't believe Ethan had gotten her to give in so easily, and a part of her wondered if that had been his plan all along, but she gave it no more thought as she found Silver's number in her Pokegear and called it.

Surprisingly, it only rang about two times before he answered. "Lyra?" he said, his voice sounding more startled than he wanted it to, but he was a bit worried that she was suddenly calling him this late.

"Silver... are you busy?"

"Not really. I was just going to the Pokemon Center for the night. What's-"

Before he could finish, Lyra cut him off. "You should come to Kanto. Tonight," she said assertively.

There was silence, and Lyra knew he was mulling it over, which was a good sign. If he was actually considering it, that meant he really did want to see her. "Where are you?" he asked cooly, trying to seem uninterested.

Lyra tried to hide her smile, as if he would somehow be able to sense it over the phone. "Route 15, outside Fuchsia. I've set up camp."

Then, without another word, he hung up. Most would have been offended, but Lyra knew better. Ethan was right; Silver really did miss her, and he was on his way.

* * *

><p>AN: To be continued next time! ;) And it won't be nearly as long of a wait, I promise; in fact, I've already started it. Thanks for reading, please review!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: And here is part 2, picking up right where the last chapter left off! These were supposed to just be one chapter but as you can see, it got pretty long. No prompt this time since I'm basically just going along with the previous one. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

><p>Silver and his Crobat finally touched down in the middle of Route 15, and he called his faithful Pokemon back to its Poke ball. It was even later now due to the time it took them to fly from Johto, making it much darker out, but he could just make out a small tent dimly illuminated by a fire in the distance. He instinctively knew that was her. He couldn't believe he had actually flown all this way just to see her. He felt rather embarrassed that he missed her enough to not hesitate at the opportunity to see her, even if it required him going completely out of his way, but he pushed that thought aside and kept walking.<p>

Lyra was laying in her sleeping bag, looking through her Pokedex in an attempt to distract herself from nervously wondering if Silver was ever going to show up, when suddenly the front of her tent was unzipped, revealing a certain redheaded trainer. She jolted upright, startled by his abrupt appearance.

"Silver! You scared me," she exclaimed, placing her hand over her fast beating heart.

"You knew I was coming," he stated simply, crawling into the tent and sitting down, zipping it back up. Regardless of the fact that he never actually told her that he was on his way, he knew that she had been expecting him.

She rolled her eyes playfully at him before scooting over in her sleeping bag, patting the extra space next to her. "Come on, I'm sleepy," she said nonchalantly, a small smile playing on her lips.

Silver's eyes widened slightly at her command and a light blush graced his features, but he complied. He pulled his shoes and jacket off and then slipped into her sleeping bag next to her. It was barely large enough for both of them, and Silver felt quite awkward as he struggled to get comfortable, turning on his side to face her. But, Lyra seemed to feel totally at ease as she immediately snuggled up against his chest. The feel of her body so close to his caused his pulse to quicken, but he breathed deeply and forced himself to relax, placing his arms around her and resting his chin atop her head.

They were both silent for a few moments before Lyra eventually spoke up. "You know, Ethan was the one that convinced me to call you. He said he thought you probably missed me," she said with a teasing lilt to her voice.

"Don't you think if I missed you, I'd call you instead?" he asked, playing along.

"No," she answered with certainty, giggling softly. "But I missed you... so I called. And you came."

Silver remained silent, only responding by tightening his hold on her. He wished he could be straightforward with her about his feelings for her, but he couldn't. He had a hard enough time being truthful with himself about it. But in times like these, when he just wanted her to know that he truly did care about her, he relied on physical contact.

Lyra had figured that out already and she didn't mind; she always thought his actions spoke louder than his words, and sometimes she liked to try to do the same. She slowly leaned her head up, their eyes locking for a brief moment before she captured his lips in a sweet kiss. Silver relaxed against her, closing his eyes as he kissed her back. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't gotten used to this ever since that fateful night in the Dragon's Den. Kissing Lyra felt surprisingly nice, and he enjoyed it much more than he wanted to admit, but it was also somewhat troubling to him. He had come to terms with their friendship some time ago. Lyra was one of the first people to earn his respect, and he learned a lot from her over the years. But, their newfound intimacy had stirred deeper feelings in him that he didn't know how to handle. All he knew was that his desire to be with her was even stronger, and that frustrated him.

Abruptly, Silver pulled away, and Lyra eyed him questioningly.

"Lyra... what are we doing? I mean, why do you keep doing stuff like this?" he asked, exasperated.

She frowned at him. "_Why_? Because I want to... And I like you. I mean, isn't it obvious?" she said, giving him a small smile.

He knew that. He couldn't understand why she liked him, but he knew she did. He sighed heavily and broke free of their embrace, turning over to lay on his back. "Why do you do this to me?" he said quietly, as if he was really asking himself that instead of her. "You make me feel crazy. I mean, I just flew all the way from Johto in the middle of the night just because you called me! Why would I do that?"

"Because you like me, too. I know you do," she said simply.

"But it doesn't make any sense! I used to always be alone, and I liked it that way. But now here I am with you... and I like this, too," he spoke softly.

Lyra was silent for a moment, pondering over his words, and then she suddenly leaned over him, propping herself up on his chest so that she could look him in the eyes. "Silver," she began earnestly, "what do _you_ want?"

It was a seemingly simple question, but he didn't know how to respond. He could only stare at her as silence fell between them once again. He reached his hand up and hesitantly rubbed her cheek, and she tilted her head against his palm. The tips of his fingers brushed against her bangs, and he briefly contemplated how pretty she was with her hair down, hanging loosely around her shoulders.

"If you can't tell me...," Lyra whispered, a small, coy smile gracing her features, "then just show me."

Silver couldn't believe how this girl always managed to fluster him, but that's how it had always been, he realized. He had been drawn to her from the very beginning; as much as he used to often want to, he was never able to leave her alone. And when she looked at him with those bright, doe eyes like she was doing now, he just couldn't resist her. His hand slid down the side of her neck as he gently pulled her forward and firmly pressed his lips against hers. It was both loving and sensual; Silver felt as if he was pouring everything he felt for her into that kiss.

And Lyra could feel it. His sudden boldness startled her a bit, causing her heart to pound against her chest, but she practically melted against him, tangling her fingers in his hair. When they finally parted, their breathing slightly labored, she stared at him for a moment before a warm smile spread across her face, her cheeks tinged with pink.

"Alright then," she said assuredly, resting her head in the crook of his neck. "We'll be together, okay?"

Silver felt a warmth spreading across his own face at her reaction. He held her against him and rubbed her back tenderly. "...Yeah," he murmured, sighing softly.

He wasn't sure what exactly had just transpired between them, and he didn't really know what she meant. But he knew he wanted to be with her; he had always known that deep down. Trying to fight it was pointless. Lyra would always win.

Soon, their breathing slowed as they drifted off into sleep together. Hanging onto a last bit of consciousness, Silver realized that he had really fallen for her somewhere along the way, but then all at once, he was asleep.

* * *

><p>AN: This turned out to be a bit fluffier than I intended, but oh well, nothing wrong with that I suppose! Silver and Lyra are just cute together; I can't help it. Thanks for reading, please review! :)


End file.
